Biotic and Abiotic Stressors in Plant Metabolism

Dear Colleagues,

Biotic and abiotic stressors affect plant metabolism, physiology, and growth. Nowadays, among the abiotic stressors, high salinity, extreme temperatures, drought and water logging, mineral deficiency as well as soil contamination, are all factors of increasing interest. In addition, biotic adverse factors, such as microorganism-associated pathologies, together with attacks and interactions regarding insects and herbivores, affect the productivity of crops, causing important yield loss. The mechanism of biotic and abiotic stress resistance in plants involve morphological, phytochemical, physiological, and molecular aspects. Among the various defensive strategies to tolerate adverse factors, there are the production of reactive oxygen species and alteration in anatomical features (waxy cuticle, trichrome, etc.). However, plant metabolomes are also involved through the upregulation or downregulation of certain metabolic pathways to counteract stressful conditions.

In particular, metabolites, such as ascorbic acid, salicylic acid, jasmonic acid, terpenes, alkaloids, and polyphenols, trigger plant defense mechanisms.

Considering this, the aim of this Special Issue is to emphasize metabolomic modulation in plants, algae, and lichens under various biotic and abiotic stresses and to identify the key metabolites, which play a pivotal role in stress-tolerance mechanisms.

Prof. Dr. Laura Cornara
Dr. Manuela Mandrone
Dr. Antonella Smeriglio
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.